United Nations

First Tourists Arrive on New Free-Visa System, 21 Western Countries to be Added

October 9, 2018 by Thiha

As an initial phase of implementing its new tourism strategy, the tourism ministry launched a free-visa system for tourists from Japan, South Korean and China’s Hong Kong and Macau on Monday. The move is likely to be followed in the coming years by the lifting of visa requirements for citizens of another 21 countries—especially western […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, ARSA, Chinese Tourists, free-visa system, genocidal, infrastructure, International Criminal Court, myanmar tourism federation, National League for Democracy, Northern Rakhine State, Rohingya crisis, Russia, tourism, United Nations, visa exemptions, visa-on-arrival, Western Countries, Yangon International Airport

Anti-corruption drive dodges political donations and criminal liability

September 28, 2018 by Thiha

Nay Pyi Taw has stepped up its efforts to curb corruption by empowering the anti-graft body and reaching out to the private sector. Yet, the announcement from the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) has created confusion among businesses. Crucially, there are still no criminal liability for offering bribes and no effective regulations on […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Anti-Corruption Commission, Anti-Corruption Law, asean, code of conduct, corruption, Crime, DICA, Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration, Drugs, election commission, MCRB, Nay Pyi Taw, Tax, Thai, United Nations, UNODC

Why Facebook is losing the war on hate speech in Myanmar

August 27, 2018 by Thiha

YANGON, Myanmar – In April, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told U.S. senators that the social media site was hiring dozens more Burmese speakers to review hate speech posted in Myanmar. The situation was dire. Some 700,000 members of the Rohingya community had recently fled the country amid a military crackdown and ethnic violence. In March, […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Aela Callan, Allah, Anthony Larmon, Bengalis, Burmese, CEO of Phandeeyar, Chris Tun, David Madden, Echo Myanmar, Facebook, Indonesia, Jes Kaliebe Petersen, kalar, Lars Erik Tellmann, mark zuckerberg, Military, muslim, Myanmar, Refugees, Rohingya, Rohingya-style food, Senate, social media, United Nations

Far from a ‘debt trap’, China’s belt and road allows countries like Myanmar to leapfrog poverty

July 16, 2018 by Thiha

Andre Wheeler says Western critics overlook the holistic and long-term benefits that China’s multilateral infrastructure investment programme brings to countries like Myanmar. What’s more, they aren’t offering any alternatives A plethora of articles have discussed the risks associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The discussion is often portrayed within a “winners versus losers” framework, […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: “debt trap”, 2017 Belt and Road summit., African, Beijing, China, China-Myanmar economic corridor, China's Belt and Road Initiative, China’s foreign minister, clean coal technology, construction, credit rating, development banks, economic conditions, electricity, energy market, fossil fuels, GDP levels, Heritage, Infrastructure Projects, KYAUK PHYU SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, Kyuak Phyu deep water port projects, lung disease, Malaysia, Myanmar, Myitsone dam hydro power, North Korea, Pakistan, return on investment, Sri Lanka, United Nations, United States, Wang Yi

Vietnam, Myanmar look towards 1 bln USD in two-way trade

April 27, 2018 by Thiha

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi agreed to further deepen bilateral trade and investment on win-win basis towards achieving 1 billion USD or higher in two-way trade during their talks in Hanoi on April 19. The talks took place right after the welcome ceremony […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: asean, East Sea, Energy, finance, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Hanoi, International Law, Mekong River water resources, memorandum of understanding, military medicine, Myanmar, Myanmar Joint Commission, National Assembly channels, national defence-security, ninth largest trade partner, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, telecommunications, the United Nations, United Nations, Vietnam, Vietnamese PM

Zuckerberg apologized for Myanmar Violence

April 18, 2018 by Thiha

Last week, after frustrated activists from Myanmar sent an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, they got something unexpected: a reply. The activists, representing six civil society organizations, harshly criticized Mr. Zuckerberg in the letter, saying he had mischaracterized Facebook’s response to violence-inciting messages in Myanmar and had not devoted sufficient […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: a leading technology hub, Adam Mosseri, chief executive of Phandeeyar, dangerous hate speech, Debbie Frost, Development Organization, Facebook, Facebook executives, Facebook Messenger, Facebook spokeswoman, Facebook’s News Feed head, Germany, humanitarian crisis, Indonesia, Jes Petersen, mark zuckerberg, Myanmar, Myanmar ICT, Myanmar speaking reviewers, Myanmar Violence, Phandeeyar, philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte, Rohingya Muslims, social media analyst, Sri Lanka, the U.S. or Europe, United Nations, Victoire Rio

Myanmar’s Approach to India

April 5, 2018 by Thiha

Myanmar can be described as the quintessential small state whose foreign policy is impinged on by the overtures of its larger neighbors — China and India. That is in part due to its geographical location impacting Myanmar’s policy formulation, but also a reflection of the fact that, historically, Myanmar’s military rule has led to global […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: 'Act East' policy, active engagement, AEP, Ahoms, and Chins, China, colonial, director of Myanmar’s presidential office, fellow ASEAN member states, Foreign Policy, General Ne Win, Germany, IIIT, India, Indian Army, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Indian projects, internal domestic challenges, Japan, Kaladan Multi-modal Project, LEP, Look East policy, Lushais, Meghalaya, memorandum of understanding, Min Aung Hlaing, MOU, Myanmar, Myanmar Institute of Technology, Myanmar’s military rule, New Delhi, postcolonial politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, rakhine, Saw Htay, singapore, TATA Consultancy Service, Tatmadaw’s Commander-in-Chief Senior General, TCS, Thailand, United Nations

How the West won and lost Myanmar

April 4, 2018 by thiha

When former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi and her long persecuted National League for Democracy party won election in 2015, Western nations which maintained sanctions against the previous rights-abusing military regime cheered the democratic result and hoped for transition. Suu Kyi was subsequently feted in various European capitals, including Oslo, where she received her […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), aung san suu kyi, China, eu, Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP), Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy party, One Belt One Road, Rakhine State, Russia, Russian ambassador Nikolay Listopadov, United Nations

Government Commits to Long Term Aquaculture Development; Starts Dialogue on Issues

February 9, 2018 by thiha

Myanmar has taken its first major step towards developing a sustainable aquaculture industry that will meet domestic dietary needs and support the country’s fishery exports business at a time when wild fish stocks are declining rapidly. “The fisheries sector is one of the most important for our ministry, contributing to the protein needs of our […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Bangladesh, CESD, Coastal States of Ayeyarwady, Cyclone Nargis, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Land Management, Department of Fisheries, DoF, DoF Director General U Khin Maung Maw, Dr Aung Thu, Dr Kyaw Tun Myint, EU Ambassador to Myanmar, Europe, Executive Director at the Centre for Economic, irrigation, Kristian Schmidt, Livestock, MADB, MEB, Middle East, Myanmar Agriculture Development Bank, Myanmar Economic Bank, Myanmar National Economic Policy, MYSAP, MYSAP Launch, NADP, National Aquaculture Development Plan, Nay Pyi Taw, rakhine, social development, Statistics, Thailand, The Myanmar Times, U Zaw Oo, Union Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, United Nations, us, Vice President of the Myanmar Fisheries Federation, Vietnam

Myanmar President Calls for Reform of Nation’s Military-Drafted Constitution

January 13, 2018 by thiha

YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s civilian president called in an Independence Day speech on Thursday for reform of a military-drafted constitution and for justice for all recognized minorities under a federal system, but made no mention of the treatment of its Rohingya Muslim people. Amending the charter to remove a dominant political role for the military […]